Run your own race

In the movie, "Secretariat," the big horse was facing the third race of the 1973 Triple Crown.  He had won the Derby, won the Preakness, and was facing the most grueling of the three, the Belmont -- one and one half miles of dirt track.

His intuitive trainer, Lucien Lauren, had a tough decision to make.  Common wisdom said to let the horse rest between the Preakness and the Belmont.  This approach made sense.  But Lucien and Secretariat’s owner both knew how the horse loved to run.  He was not a common racehorse.  They agreed he should be allowed to run his own race.  And so, contrary to common wisdom, they let him work out between the races.

On race day, Secretariat and his closest competition, another fine athlete, Sham, broke from the gate at the head of the pack and continued neck and neck.  Until Secretariat began pulling ahead.  The announcer said something like, “Secretariat ahead by a neck... by a length, by two lengths... by 11 lengths... by 20 lengths.”  The big red horse won that race by 32 lengths.  No one has seen anything like it before or since.

May I be clear at this point that I am not advocating horse racing or dog racing.  These have become cruel industries.  But that's another story for someone else to write.

Here now, for a spiritual take on Secretariat's triumph: we are all running our own races.  Each of us has a different race to run.  The lengths, locations, and conditions vary.  Some are glitzy like the Derby.  Some are grueling like the Belmont.  Supporters may or may not be there to cheer us to the finish line.

Unlike most racing, we're not competing with anyone else. The point for us is not whether we come in first, second, or last, but that we finish the race before us the best we know how. 

We can trust that our loving Mother-Father God has given us exactly what we need to praise Her in the race of this moment.  Love, honesty, intelligence, and a willing heart make a good start.